Joao Pedro’s goal was enough to seal the three points for Watford, following a swift counter attack after a poor Sheffield United corner.
While the first half was cagy, Watford were the team in the driving seat throughout the second half. New manager Rob Edwards would probably have hoped that Watford could kick on and score a second to make the Hornets feel comfortable towards the end of the game.
Sheffield United rarely threatened though and Watford were able to pick up their first three points of the season.
Ismaila Sarr, Joao Pedro and Emmanuel Dennis will cause problems in the Championship
There is still a chance that at least one of Watford’s attacking trio will depart before the transfer window shuts, with the most likely being Emmanuel Dennis according to the Athletic.
All three of them made a significant impact on the game last night. Dennis was a nuisance for the Sheffield United defence from the first whistle, while Ismaila Sarr provided the all important assist for Joao Pedro to slot in the winner during the second half.
They each looked a class above everyone else on the pitch at Vicarage Road and Sheffield United simply could not handle them.
With difficult games coming up against West Brom and Burnley, it would not be surprising if Watford tried to keep hold of their forward line at least for those two games. Regardless of who moves on though, Rob Edwards will be tremendously grateful that they helped his side get over the line to a crucial three points.
Sheffield United started slowly, but you cannot write them off
Obviously it would be too reactive to suggest that Sheffield United fans will be panicking after last night's result, but their performance at times seemed to be lethargic and lacked any real sort of cohesion.
They certainly have the players and the manager there to help them challenge for a promotion place this season and it will just be about making sure their main talents, such as Sander Berge in the middle, have the freedom to play and express themselves on the pitch.
Last season the Blades started poorly under ex-Watford manager, Slavisca Jokanovic but ended the season on the cusp of the playoff final. Due to this, a slow start may not worry Sheffield United fans, and they will no doubt improve and learn from the result on Monday night.
The importance of the Vicarage Road atmosphere
Watford had not won at home since November, where they defeated Manchester United 4-1.
Their torrid home form last season was one of the main reasons for the club's relegation and putting this form behind them by beating Sheffield United makes an early statement of intent from Watford.
A large part of Watford’s home troubles being put behind them was the superb atmosphere generated by the Rookery stand behind the goal.
The fans were able to suck the ball into the net and allowed the Hornets to get to the full-time whistle with their 1-0 lead.
Rob Edwards was aware of their impact and made sure all of his players went to thank the fans at full-time.
Watford fans will be hoping that this is the start of a special relationship with their new manager and this group of players.
Blades blunt upfront
Sheffield United failed to create anything of note during the game.
There was a lack of transition from the midfield through to the attack and most of their set pieces failed to trouble the Watford backline.
There are certainly some high quality players going forward for the Blades, but they will have to find a way to get them more involved in the game.
Both teams’ midfield struggles
An obvious flaw for both sides was their inability to take control of the midfield.
John Fleck for Sheffield United had a particularly poor game as he failed to get a grip of the ball at any point. He was partly at fault for the goal conceded as well.
Tom Cleverley struggled throughout for Watford, while it took Edo Kayembe some time to grow into the game.
Both managers will look to rectify this sooner rather than later, as the threat of potentially being overrun in the midfield is viable over the coming games.